GM Plans To Make Its First Autonomous Vehicle Electric, And Available To Lyft

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Autonomous vehicles are beginning to become more and more of a reality. With General Motors’ acquisition of Cruise Automation, things have only accelerated at GM.

According to Tech Insider, GM has plans to make its first autonomous vehicle from an electric vehicle, likely the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, and nearly anyone will be able to experience it through Lyft.

Pam Fletcher, executive chief engineer of autonomous tech at GM, said the Lyft platform would be ideal to launch its autonomous vehicle, ensure it reaches the masses. And sooner than you may expect, too.

“We have not made that announcement yet, but what I would say is this is all coming much faster than people anticipate, so I’ll say that much. We have been transparent about that,” she said. “We are working on an on-demand ride-sharing network with Lyft, it’s not something we are thinking about, it’s something we are very much readying for consumer use.”

When asked about electric vehicles and autonomy, Fletcher stated EVs make more sense because of the driving experience.

“They (EVs) operate very smoothly, they operate very quietly, seamlessly, and so you can create this very positive experience inside the car,” she said. “People want that, they want to get in the car and for it to feel like a cocoon, so they can take a nap or have a conference call.”

GM has made a $500 million investment into ride-sharing service, Lyft, with the goal of having a fleet of autonomous vehicles across the country in the future.